The 6 European alternatives to New York

“Who needs the Big Apple, when you’ve got these cities”, says Mike Peake. The journalist drew up a list about six European cities that coul be the perfect alternatives to New York. Here it is:

Frankfurt for the skyscrapers. It’s not half bad, the Frankfurt skylin. View from the water at night, with eyes half-closed, and bingo – you could be standing on a ferry off Battery Park. When the city’s planned Millenium Tower is completed it will be the tallest in Europe and almost as lofty as the Empire Building.

Valencia for the park life. They don’t have a river running through Valencia, they have a 7km-long, 150m-vide park, with bridges over it and everything. It’s a mecca for cyclists and joggers, and you don’t need to be on CSI to work out you’re standing on the old Turia riverbed.

Paris for the statue of liberty. When France gave the Big Apple that lady-shaped slab of copper to stick in New York Harbor, they kept a copy for themselves. This mini-version now stands in the Jardin du Luxembourg, but a mildly diverting day’s entertainment can also be had spotting replicas at the Pont de Grenelle. Musèe des Arts et Mètiers, and Pont de l’Alma tunnel – the latter a life-sized copy to the flame.

Dublin for the Irish experience. It’s said that Irish expats once accounted for a quarter of all the people living in New York – even now you don’t have to go far in the city to find somewhere painted shamrock green and selling Guinness. But we’ll let you in on a little secret: you can get that in Ireland.

Barcelona for the yellow cabs. Well, yellow and black, really, but it’s a pleasingly familiar look and if your driver refuses to go more than a few dozen blocks north after dark, you really could be in Manhattan, “Follow that car!”, should you need it, is “Siga ese coche!”.

Stockholm for the waterside vibe. You’re never more than a kilometer or two from the water in Manhattan, and the same can be said of Stockholm, which embraces its geographical wetness with all the fervor of Venice. The city is stylish Gondolen bar offers breathtaking views of sea and sky.